Nekhrush June - June of the Saratan
June Beetle - Amphimallon solstitialis L.
A beetle whose body length does not exceed 20 mm, predominantly pale yellow in color, with a slightly darker abdomen. The head and elytra are covered with sparse hairs. The pronotum has wide stripes of black-brown color, divided in the middle by a narrow longitudinal line of yellow color or with dark spots. The seam of the elytra is narrowly darkened. The abdomen is black or, as in southern forms, brown-yellow. The antennae are nine-segmented with a three-segmented club. The head and pronotum of the June beetle are covered with long protruding, bristle-like hairs of yellow-brown color and shorter, closely adhering yellowish hairs. The scutellum is covered with very dense hairs. The elytra are ribbed, and the hairs covering them are similar in shape to those on the pronotum but are more numerous at the base. The thorax also has dense and long hairs, while the abdomen has short white-yellow hairs. The June beetle flies from mid-May to July.
At night, it eagerly flies to electric light. Sometimes, on summer evenings, mischievous children chase the beetle and try to catch it in mid-air, while the beetle buzzes and spins around as if teasing them.
The larva resembles that of the Eastern May Beetle (Melolontha hippocastani) in structure. However, the anal opening is shaped like a three-pronged slit, and on the rear part of the anal sternite, in the middle of the area occupied by hooked bristles, there are two longitudinal single rows of conical spines. The number of these spines varies from 10 to 14. In the front part, these rows are almost parallel, while in the rear, they diverge outward like arcs, but the front ends do not extend beyond the area of the hooked bristles. The length of the larva ranges from 35 to 52 mm.
The pupa, like that of all Scarabaeidae, is exposed, light-colored, and darkens the day before the imago emerges. The main damage is caused by the larvae living in the soil. They are very voracious, feeding on the roots of various trees and herbaceous vegetation. They harm young seedlings and many field crops.
The June beetle prefers open spaces but also settles under the canopy of fruit and forest plantations. The beetle is characterized by a crepuscular lifestyle, hiding somewhere in trees during the day. In favorable years, it sometimes reproduces in large numbers. The development of the June beetle from egg to adult takes two years.
The June beetle is a polyphagous pest. Both the adults and larvae cause damage. The beetles eat the leaves of fruit trees, raspberry bushes, and pine needles. The larvae damage the root systems of two-year-old seedlings of pine, ash, maples, various fruit trees, wild and cultivated roses, various species of acacias, honey locust, euonymus, elderberry, barberry, currants, viburnum, gooseberries, walnuts, grapes, hops, and many vegetable, melon, grain, and legume crops.
Many beetles were once a source of food for humans. Ancient Greeks, Romans, and Australians preferred to eat beetle larvae, considering them a delicacy. After all, soft and fatty larvae are more edible than adult insects. To be honest, it's even hard to imagine this taste. Indeed, there is a saying: "There are no friends in taste and color."
Distribution: throughout Kyrgyzstan.
Insects of Kyrgyzstan
